A carrion¹ crow sat on an oak,

Watching a tailor shape his cloak.

"Wife, bring me my old bent² bow,

That I may shoot yon carrion crow."

The tailor he shot and missed his mark,

And shot his own sow quite through the heart.

"Wife, wife, bring brandy in a spoon,

For our old sow is in a swoon."

Ba, ba, black sheep,

Have you any wool?

Yes, marry, have I,

Three bags full.

One for my master,

One for my dame³,

But none for the little boy

That cries in the lane.

Hen. Cock, cock, I have la-a-ayed!

Cock. Hen, hen, that's well sa-a-ayed!

Hen. Although I have to go bare-footed every day-a-ay!

Cock. (Con spirito.) Sell your eggs and buy shoes!

Sell your eggs and buy shoes!

Dickery, dickery, dock,

The mouse ran up the clock.

The clock struck one,

Down the mouse ran,

Dickery, dickery, dock.

Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess,

They all went together to seek a bird's nest

They found a bird's nest with five eggs in;

They all took one, and left four in.

Father, father, I've come to confess.

O, yes, dear daughter, what have you done?

Gang and hear the owl⁴ yell,

Sit and see the swallow flee,

See the foal before its mither's e'e,

'Twill be a thriving year wi' thee.